The el-Jazzar Mosque ( ar, مسجد الجزار, ; he, מסגד אל-ג'זאר, ''Misgad al-G'zar''), also known as the White Mosque of Acre, is located on el-Jazzar Street inside the walls of the old city of Acre, overlooking the eastern

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

, and is named after the Ottoman Bosnian governor Ahmad Pasha el-Jazzar.

History

The el-Jazzar Mosque was the project of its namesake, Ahmad Pasha el-Jazzar, the Acre-based governor of the

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and Damascus provinces, who was famous for his impressive public works and defeat of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

at the

Siege of Acre Siege of Acre may refer to: * Siege of Acre (1104), following the First Crusade *Siege of Acre (1189–1191), during the Third Crusade * Siege of Acre (1263), Baibars laid siege to the Crusader city, but abandoned it to attack Nazareth. *Siege of A ...

in 1799. El-Jazzar ordered the mosque's construction in 1781 and had it completed within the year.Archnet
Jazzar Mosque. Despite lacking architectural training, el-Jazzar was the architect of the mosque,Philipp 2001, p. 58.Sharon 1997, p. 47. drawing up its plans and design, and supervising its entire construction. In addition to the mosque itself, the complex included an Islamic theological academy with student lodging, an Islamic court and a public library. The mosque was built for religious purposes, but its grandiose size and additional functions were also intended by el-Jazzar to serve as a means of consolidating his political legitimacy as ruler of Ottoman Syria. He modeled the mosque on the mosques of

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, the Ottoman capital. The el-Jazzar Mosque was built over former Muslim and Christian prayer houses and other Crusader buildings, including military architecture. Building materials for the mosque, particularly its marble and granite components, were taken from the ancient ruins of Caesarea,

Atlit Atlit ( he, עַתְלִית, ar, عتليت) is a coastal town located south of Haifa, Israel. The community is in the Hof HaCarmel Regional Council in the Haifa District of Israel. Off the coast of Atlit is a submerged Neolithic village. At ...

and medieval Acre. El-Jazzar commissioned several

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

masons as the mosque's builders. There is a ''

tughra A tughra ( ota, طغرا, ṭuġrā) is a calligraphic monogram, seal or signature of a sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence. Inspired by the tamgha, it was also carved on his seal and stamped on the coins minted ...

'' or monogram on a marble disc inside the gate, naming the ruling Sultan, his father, and bearing the legend "ever-victorious." Adjacent to the mosque is a mausoleum and small graveyard containing the tombs of Jazzar Pasha and his adoptive son and successor, Sulayman Pasha, and their relatives.

Architecture

The mosque is an excellent example of

Ottoman architecture Ottoman architecture is the architectural style that developed under the Ottoman Empire. It first emerged in northwestern Anatolia in the late 13th century and developed from earlier Seljuk Turkish architecture, with influences from Byzantine a ...

, which incorporated both

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

n styles. Some of its fine features include the green dome and minaret, a green-domed '' sabil'' next to its steps (a kiosk, built by Sultan Abdul Hamid II, for dispensing chilled drinking water and beverages) and a large courtyard.Mosque of Ahmed Jezzar Pasha
Ullian, Robert. Wiley Publishing The mosque, which dominates Acre's skyline, was originally named ''Masjid al-Anwar'' (the "Great Mosque of Lights") and is also known as the White Mosque because of its once silvery-white dome that glittered at a great distance. The dome is now painted green. The minaret has a winding staircase of 124 steps. It is the largest mosque in modern-day

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

outside of

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Historian Nur Masalha describes the Mosque as notable for its "mixture of styles, Ottoman Byzantine, Palestinian, and Persian, incorporating and recycling the extraordinarily rich martial and cultural heritage of Palestine."

Sha'r an-Nabi

The mosque houses the ''Sha'r an-Nabi'', a hair (or lock of hair) from the beard of the Prophet

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

. The Sha'r an-Nabi used to be paraded through Acre on Eid al-Fitr, ending the fast of Ramadan, but is now only shown to the congregation.Elian J. Finbert (1956) ''Israel'' Hachette, p 177 The relic is kept inside the mosque in a glass cabinet placed at the women's upper floor gallery.

Gallery

Image:Knisajazar MV mod.jpg, Entrance to the mosque, with the ''sabil'' to the right of the steps. Image:Mosque Al Djazar.jpg, Entrance to el-Jazzar Mosque Image:Jezzar Pasha Mosque Interior.jpg, El-Jazzar Mosque Interior Image:Jazaar.jpg, Long distant view Image:Jezzar Pasha Mosque.JPG, El-Jazzar Mosque File:El-Jazzar Mosque (Acre) 2008-01.jpg, El-Jazzar Mosque

References

{{Authority control Ottoman Palestine Mosques in Acre, Israel Mosques converted from churches in the Ottoman Empire 1781 establishments in the Ottoman Empire Mosques completed in 1781 Mosque buildings with domes